How to Prevent Weevils from Invading Your Pantry

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Weevils are a type of tiny beetle that feed on grains like wheat and rice. They can invade a pantry easily because females lay eggs inside grain kernels, so people bring them into their kitchens without even knowing. There are several types of weevils, and the most common to find in a kitchen are the rice and granary weevils. Luckily, there are things you can do to prevent these little pests from invading your pantry, and also steps you can take in case an infestation occurs.

Buy grains in bulk when possible. When you buy foods in bulk, you can actually inspect the food itself for an infestation, and this drastically reduces the chances that you'll end up with infested foods. Foods to buy in bulk include anything that might attract weevils, including:

Purchase foods in clear packaging. When you cannot buy these foods in bulk, look for them in clear packaging so that you can still inspect the contents. Many grocery stores that don’t have bulk bins will still have prepackaged bulk items that are stored in clear plastic bags or containers.

When buying these items, use your hands to move the contents of the bag around to inspect for weevils.

Avoid foods with damaged packaging. If you must buy prepackaged grains, flours, or other dry goods, inspect the packaging before you purchase them. Look for holes, punctures, or other signs of damage that could indicate an infestation.[2]

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Part 1 Quiz

Why should you buy your food in bulk if you're concerned about weevils and other pests?

Because you can inspect your food when buying in bulk.

Correct! The first step in preventing an infestation is inspecting your food. Read on for another quiz question.

Because weevils are attracted to packaging.

Not quite. Weevils aren't attracted to packaging, but they are attracted to grains and flours and can chew their way through most packaging. There’s a better option out there!

Because the food safety inspections for bulk foods are more thorough.

Try again! Bulk foods aren't necessarily cleaner than packaged foods, but being able to inspect it yourself means you'll be less likely to take home foods containing weevils and other pests. Pick another answer!

Because it is cheaper.

Try again! This may be the case, but does not directly concern the matter of keeping pests out. There’s a better option out there!

None of the above.

Try again! There is a correct answer listed above. There’s a better option out there!

Seal possible entry points into your home and pantry. Weevils most often get into your house through contaminated food, but they can also make their way in through access points if they've already infested the area. Things to look for and fix include:[3]

Kill weevils that could be in your grains. Even if you buy all your grains in bulk, it’s still possible that contaminated food will end up in your home. Luckily, you can prevent an infestation by killing the weevils before the eggs hatch or the females lay eggs. There are two ways you can do this:[4]

Heating: This works best for whole grains (rice, for instance), but shouldn’t be used for ground grains or powders. Heat your oven to 140 F (60 C). Lay your grains out on a baking sheet. Bake the grains in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool before storing.

Freezing: This is suitable for powdered and ground grains, but also works for whole grains. Simply place the newly purchased bag or container of grains in the freezer and leave it undisturbed for three days. Allow to thaw before storing.

Transfer grains to weevil-proof containers. Once you’ve killed any weevils that might have been hiding in your grains, transfer the grains to glass, metal, or thick plastic containers that have airtight lids. Weevils can eat through paper and thin plastic.[5]

Along with storing all cereals, grains, and flours in weevil-proof containers, you can also store sugar, coffee, and other dry goods in these containers if your house is prone to infestations.

Eat food quickly. To ensure that weevils don’t have time to invade your dry goods, buy your grains and flours in smaller quantities so you eat them quickly and don’t leave them in the back of the pantry for months.[6]

This is another time when buying in bulk can be beneficial, because you can control the exact amount that you purchase.

Keep pantry shelves clean. Weevils may be attracted to your home if there are bits of food lying around in your pantry, such as flour dust, spilled cereal, or fallen grains of rice. To ensure that there's nothing in your pantry that might attract them, keep your shelves clean and free of food.

Once every month or two, remove all the food from the pantry or cupboards and vacuum the shelves.

Remove all the food from your cupboards. When you discover a weevil infestation, the first thing you have to do is get all the food off the shelves in your pantry or cupboard. That way, you can clean all the shelves and inspect the food for contamination.[9]

Rinse infested grains. Go through all the food that was in your pantry or cupboards and inspect for weevils or signs of infestation. If you find weevils in whole grains that can be rinsed, you can clean the grains and salvage them.

Ideal candidates for rinsing include whole-grain rice, barley, and buckwheat.

Place the grains into a strainer and hold it under running water. Use your hand or a spoon to comb through the grains, making sure the water rinses them all.

When the weevils have been rinsed away, place the grains on a baking sheet and into a 140 F (60 C) oven for 15 minutes to kill any eggs and dry the grains.

Discard infested food that can't be rinsed. Many infested foods, such as flours and cereals, cannot be rinsed without being damaged. Throw these foods out. Place them in a large garbage bag and tie the bag tightly.[10]

Remove the bag with the contaminated foods from your house immediately so the weevils don’t eat their way out and infest again.

If you don’t feel comfortable salvaging infested foods like rice, simply discard them as well.

Wash contaminated storage containers. Once you’ve gone through and thrown out all your infested foods, wash the containers with hot, soapy water to remove any eggs or larvae that might still be present.

For dishwasher-safe containers, run the dirty containers through the dishwasher instead.[11]

Clean under all your appliances. Once weevils infest your pantry, they may travel out to explore new areas of your kitchen if they're attracted to any other food sources. Crumbs and forgotten bits of food can often be found under appliances, so it’s important to clean under these as well.

Pull out your stove and fridge and vacuum thoroughly underneath before replacing them.

You should also move and vacuum under your microwave, toaster, toaster oven, and any other countertop appliances you have.

Replace old shelf paper before returning food to the pantry. Weevils can hide in places you'd never think, including underneath old shelf paper on the shelves in your pantry or cupboard. To ensure that you don’t have any stowaways, and to remove any eggs and larvae, remove the shelf paper that’s lining your shelves.[13]

Discard the old shelf paper immediately.

Vacuum and clean the bare shelves before installing new paper.

Once everything has been cleaned thoroughly and the new paper installed, you can start returning non-contaminated food to your pantry or cupboard.

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Part 3 Quiz

What should you do if you find weevils in your rice?

Put it in the freezer overnight.

Try again! Though freezing can be an option for killing eggs, there is a more thorough method for salvaging infested rice. Also, if you freeze your grains to destroy weevil eggs, leave them in the freezer for three days. Try another answer...

Rinse it thoroughly and leave it out to dry before transferring it into an airtight container.

Almost! Rinsing is the first step you should take, but to be sure that there are no eggs left, bake the rice in a 140F (60c) oven for fifteen minutes before transferring it back into an airtight container. Try another answer...

Add a few bay leaves to the rice.

Not quite. Though bay leaves can deter weevils, they may not work as well if there's already an infestation. Try again...

Rinse it thoroughly, then bake it. Once dried, transfer it to an airtight container.

Correct! This method will help you filter out the adult weevils and kill the eggs so that there will be no further infestation. Read on for another quiz question.

All of the above.

Try again! Only one of the answers is the correct answer. Pick another answer!

Community Q&A

When weevils infest a pantry, it's common to find them in flour, oats, corn, sugar, and other food products. If you have weevils in your house, it's likely that they'll find their way in to sugar and candy containers as well. For kitchens where weevils are a problem, transfer all foods to glass containers with airtight lids before storage.

Weevils are perfectly safe for humans to ingest. If you ate some by accident, don't panic, because you won't get sick. If you have found weevils in your rice or other grains and don't want to waste food, simply rinse the grains before cooking to remove the weevils.

Weevil larvae are banqueting on my clothing. How do I kill and deter them?

Community Answer

Moths like undisturbed corners that are dark and warm. Remove everything from your wardrobe, vacuum all the corners and drawers, and wipe all your surfaces with a detergent-soaked cloth to kill off larvae. Then wash or dry clean all of your clothes (and curtains and upholstery too).

About This Article

Co-Authored By:

wikiHow Staff Editor

This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Together, they cited information from 13 references. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article meets our high standards.

To prevent weevils from invading your pantry, try to buy grains in bulk or in clear packaging so you can inspect them for weevils, which look like reddish-brown bugs that are about 1/8-inch long. You can also store all of your grains in the freezer for 3 days after you buy them to kill any weevils in them. Then, transfer the grains to thick, airtight containers so new weevils can't get to them. Also, you can try scattering some bay leaf, clove, or rosemary in your pantry, which can help repel weevils.